Water vehicle



Dec. 3, 1957 J. P. RITTE'R, JR EIAL 2,814,811

' 7 WATER VEHICLE I Filed'oct. 19, 1953 INVENTORS BY THOMAS A. RITTER ATTORNEYS JULIUS P. RITTER JR.

United States Patent Ofiice 2,8 14 ,8 1 l Patented Dec. 3, 1957 WATER VEHICLE Julius P. Ritter, Jr., and Thomas A. Ritter, Racine, Wis.

Application October 19, 1953, Serial No. 386,899

1 Claim. (Cl. 9-21) This invention relates to improvements in water vehicles, and more particularly to water ski-bob adapted to be ridden by a person while being towed by a motor boat.

For aquatic sports and recreation, motorboat towed devices such as water skis and surf-boards have become increasingly popular and require a high degree of skill and dexterity on the part of the riders. The present invention aims generally at the provision of a novel type of water vehicle adapted to be towed at a high speed by a motorboat and to be ridden by a person in a sitting position while requiring skill and alertness in the manipulation of the vehicle.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a water vehicle in the nature of a ski-bob in which the occupant assumes a sitting position on the ski-bob and can steer and otherwise manipulate and control the vehicle while in a relatively comfortable position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a water ski-bob which can be folded or adjusted into a relatively compact condition when not in use for storage and transportation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a water ski-bob wherein the occupant assumes a sitting position over a pair of longitudinally alined water skis which are susceptible of oscillation in a vertical plane to properly adapt them for riding through the wake of the towing boat, over Waves, and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a water ski-bob having means for permitting tilting or inclination of the skis during the slow initial start of a trip, with cooperating means for holding the skis in an inclined position against undesirable side play before the skis attain their normal horizontal positions when the proper speed is reached.

A further object of the invention is to provide a towable water vehicle of a very novel character providing sport for the rider thereof, which has a unique action, which can be controlled and otherwise manipulated behind the towing boat, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved towable water vehicle, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved water vehicle or ski-bob with a broken line showing the supporting skis in their tilted positions;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the rear portion of the rear ski showing the stop means cooperating with a portion of the frame for holding the ski against side play when in its normal horizontal position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail perspective view of the curved forward end of the rear ski with a slot therein engageable with an under portion of the frame to maintain said rear ski against side play when it is in its tilted position; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail perspective view, partly in section, of the rear portion of the front ski and the means thereon engaging the adjacent frame portion for holding said ski against side play when it is in its horizontal position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will appear that the improved water vehicle, in the nature of a towable ski-bob, comprises a pair of longitudinally alined ski members 10 and 11 adapted to underlie and support a frame which comprises a forward upright post 12 and a rear supporting element 13 having a rearwardly downwardly inclined portion 13' and an integral upper forwardly extending horizontal portion 13". The supporting elements 12 and 13, being preferably formed of relatively thin lightweight material, can be suitably reinforced by metallic strips 14 applied longitudinally thereof.

Mounted on the upper edge of the rear supporting element 13 at the junction of the portions 13' and 13" thereof, is a saddle 15, and the upper end of the front upright support 12 fixedly carries a transverse handlebar element 16 adapted to be engaged at its opposite outer ends by the hands of the rider of the vehicle. It should further be noted that the forward end of the horizontal upper portion 13 of the rear supporting element is swingably attached to an upper portion of the forward upright support 12 by a hinge 17 which is pivotal on a vertical axis. Secured to a rear portion of the upright support 12 toward the lower end thereof is a transverse foot support 18 arranged to be engaged by the feet of a rider of the skibob. Also the upper forward portion of the upright support 12 has a bracket 19 or other securing means thereon for the attachment of one end of a tow rope or cable 26 which extends to the stern of the towing motor boat when the vehicle is in use.

The lower surface of the rear end portion ofthe forward ski 10 is provided with a rudder blade 21. Mounted on an intermediate portion of the upper face of the forward ski 10 are pairs of bearing brackets 22 which pivotally support the lower end portions of straps 23 which are secured to and embrace a lower portion of the upright support 12 permitting the forward ski 10 to pivot or oscillate from its normal horizontal full line position of Fig. l to the tilted broken line position. In the latter position a face portion of the tilted ski abuts a flat surface portion 24 on the vertical upright 12 to limit its swinging movement. In the normal horizontal position of the ski a top surface portion of the rear of the same abuts the shouldered lower rear end portion of the vertical upright 12, which portion engages in the slot between a pair of blocks 25 on the ski which prevents any side play or lateral movement of the ski during the normal operation of the device. The pivotal connection of the straps 23 with said ski permit the swinging or oscillating movements which, when the towing boat is moving at a slow rate of speed, is effective in launching the skibob and which tilting movement is also facilitated by the coiled spring 26 extended between the upright support 12 and a forward portion of the ski 10. When the device is being towed at a rapid rate of speed over the water the action of the water on the rear portion of the ski will tend to maintain it in a horizontal position but it, nevertheless, can oscillate to ride waves and the boat wake.

The rear ski 11 is positioned in the assemblage so that its curved forward end somewhat overlaps the rear end of the forward ski so as not to be unduly influenced by w the wake of the forward ski. The lower surface of the rear end portion of "the rear ski 11 also carries "a rudder blade 27 and said rear ski is pivotally attached to the rear inclined portion 13' of the rear supporting element by straps 28 whose lower end "portions are pivota'lly mounted on brackets '29 on the top face of the ski 11. Additionally there is extended between a forward top surface portion of the ski 11 and an intermediate portion of the supporting element 13, a hinged or foldable link 30 which has its opposite ends pivotally connected to the members 11 and 13', respectively. This foldable link 30 can assume the folded position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 when the rear ski 11 is tilted upwardly from horizontal and in the .latter position a slot 31 (see Fig. 5) in the forward end of said ski receives an edge portion of the supporting element 13 holding the ski against lateral movement. The tilting movement of the rear ski 111 is facilitated by a coiled spring 32 extended between a forward top surface portion of the ski 11 and an intermediate portion of the supporting element 13. Spaced stops 33 on the top surface of the rear of the ski 11 receive therebetween the lower edge portion of the supporting element 13 and hold said ski against lateral deflection or side play when the rear ski is in its normal horizontal position.

In the use of the improved ski-bob it is of course positioned a suitable distance rearwardly ofa towing motor boat and is attached "to the stern of the latter by the tow rope or cable 20. The forward motion of the motor boat, initially at .a relatively slow rate 'of speed, will tow the ski-bob, and the rider thereof mounts the same with the ski-bob in .a relatively upright position. The rider should be seated on the saddle 15 and engage the transverse foot support 18 with his feet on opposite sides of the upright 12 and manually grasp opposite ends of the handle bar 16. By turning the handle bar he is able to swing the upright frame 12 and forward ski 10 laterally to direct or steer the ski-bob as desired. Initially, before a high rate of speed is obtained, the skis '10 and 11 may assume tilted positions. As the speed of the vehicle increases they will work downwardly towardtheir normal horizontal positions but are at all times free to oscillate in a vertical plane when riding over the wake of the towing boat or waves.

If the rider is adept he may cause the ski-bob to ride in eccentric 'or curved patterns imparting substantial action thereto, and its ultimate manner of travel can be compared with that of water skis or a towed surfboard except that the rider and operator is at all times in a comfortable position and can very readily steer and con trol the movements of the ski-bob.

When the ski-bob is not in use it can be somewhat collapsed by tilting the skis 10 and 11 and turning the front upright frame member 12 on the frame member 13 to more or less fold or reduce the bulk of the assemblage for handling or storage. The improved ski-bob is a unique type of water vehicle affording amusement 'to the rider and is otherwise well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is:

A towable water vehicle, comprising an articulated frame including a forward frame member and a rear frame member adapted to support portions of a riders body, the forward frame member being turnable relative to the rear frame member on a vertical axis, a front ski vertically oscillatably carried by the lower portion of the forward frame member, a rear ski normally longitudinally alined with the front ski and vertically oscillatably carried by the lower portion of the rear frame member, said skis being oscillatable between normal horizontal positions and positions wherein those portions of the skis which are forward of their pivotal axes are upwardly and rearwardly moved, springs between a forward portion of each ski and its frame member for normally urging the skis to the last-mentioned position, and foldable links connected between a portion of a ski and its frame member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,268,229 Frank June 4, 1918 2,176,397 Flanders Oct. 17, 1939 2,286,350 Drake June 16, 1942 2,389,001 Schatz Nov. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 480,784 Canada Feb. 5, 1952 

